


The Untold

by Squibbles94



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Adorable Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Awesome Pepper Potts, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Protective Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Superpowers, Teacher Male Character, Teachers are heroes, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:41:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23726998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squibbles94/pseuds/Squibbles94
Summary: Bud Vander Kaay was an average second-grade teacher. Well, okay, not average. He had a secret that made life interesting. When Morgan Stark enters his classroom, he can immediately see her potential. But when men enter the school, he will stop at nothing to keep her safe.Prompt: My best friend wanted a fic written for his birthday. He asked to be the main character in an MCU fic and this is what happened.
Relationships: Avengers Team & Original Male Character(s), Morgan Stark & Original Male Character(s), Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 8
Kudos: 45





	The Untold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aslan4king](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aslan4king/gifts).



> Hello lovelies!
> 
> I wrote this for my best friend's birthday! He said, "Hey, Kaleigh. Know what I want for my birthday? I want you to write me into a fanfiction." So. Here it is. 
> 
> Title from: The Untold by Secession Studios
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> I never thought I would have to write this but: Please don't repost my work on any other site without my permission.

There is a moment in every teacher's life where they realize they made a difference in a student's life. It was an inevitable conclusion that every educator draws at some point or another. Whether it's when a student accidentally calls them 'mom' or 'dad,' the moment a student's eyes come alight with wonder at a new subject, or simply a hug given in a time that the student needs it most. 

Bud Vander Kaay had many of these moments as a second-grade teacher. He thrived on those little moments that told him that he made a difference in his student's lives and that they would somehow be changed because of him. Some students were easier to handle than others, and he accepted that. Though, there was always that one student that shined out from all the rest. Usually, he could spot them from the first day of school and made sure to keep a particularly close eye on them.

One thing that made his job easier was the fact that he had a secret. One that no one but his closest friends knew. It had gotten him into trouble a few times when the power had manifested at the age of eleven, but he learned to control it by the time he got to college. There was a name for people like Bud, but he preferred to think of himself as 'gifted.' While reading people's minds and being able to implant images and ideas into their heads sounded cool, it really was just one big headache. Sometimes, though, it gave him an idea on how to help a student.

This was the case when Morgan H. Stark entered his second-grade classroom at the beginning of the year, and he knew right away she was going to be one of the brightest students of the year. Maybe even in his career. It somewhat had to do with her being a Stark, but the most significant thing he noticed on the first day was that she was done with her work far before anyone else. After looking over her answers on their first few tests, he deemed every answer correct and thereby let her choose a book to read to keep her occupied. 

He had to say one of the highlights of his career was sitting across from Tony and Pepper Stark. He never imagined that he would be a successful teacher by the time he was twenty-five years old, not to mention meeting the world's most powerful couple. His palms were sweaty, and he knew his voice shook slightly when he greeted them, but for the most part, he kept his professional demeanor intact. He was struck by how personable Mrs. Stark was and how she genuinely wanted to hear what he had to say about Morgan's progress. Mr. Stark, however, lived up to his name. The man was witty and sarcastic, even citing his new metal arm as a reason that Morgan should have 'cool points' at the school.

"I mean, seriously, she has to be popular, right? She's my kid, after all," Mr. Stark boasted. 

"She is popular, but I think that has more to do with her knowing all the answers to the questions I ask. The other students like to be in her group," Bud told them with a fond smile. 

"Of course she's the smartest. We didn't doubt that for a second."

"What my husband is  _ trying  _ to say is, we are very proud of her, but we want to challenge her a bit more," Mrs. Stark said, taking control of the situation.

Bud nodded his head slightly. "I agree, Mrs. Stark-"

"Please, call me Pepper."

"You can keep calling me Mr. Stark. I like feeling like I still have power over people," the man said with a smirk. 

" _ Tony,"  _ Pepper warned. 

He rolled his eyes and sounded playfully exasperated when he said, "Fine. You can call me Tony."

Bud tried to keep his laughter from erupting at the couple's antics. Instead, he focused on the issue at hand. "I would like to suggest giving Morgan alternative assignments that fit her level. It would be nothing drastic, so the other students wouldn't particularly know. Or, we could try moving her up a grade, but I wouldn't suggest it. It tends to make some of the kids feel like outsiders when they are the youngest ones in the class."

"Yeah, I remember," Tony said bitterly. 

Bud forgot that the man entered college at a very young age and knew all about how a genius fared in an environment they weren't ready for emotionally. 

_ 'But the parties I went to weren't bad. Oh God, I hope Peter isn't going to parties. I need to call the kid before he comes home for Thanksgiving' _ , Bud heard the wisps of thought coming from Tony. His ability had always been slightly hard to control, but over time Bud found ways to cope with it. So, he took a deep breath and focused on the feeling of his pulse against his fingers. 

"Mr. Vander Kaay?" Pepper asked, concerned.

"Sorry, got lost in thought for a second." Bud shifted in his chair slightly. "So, what would you prefer? It's really up to you guys, but I suggest speaking with Morgan about it before you make a decision."

"I don't think that will be necessary, I promised myself a long time ago that she was going to grow up as normal as possible. We can stick with giving her more advanced work in your class," Tony decided.

"We can do that. Give me a couple of days to get some things in line for it, and I will push it out to her." 

"Thank you for your time. We need to get to another meeting, so I'm afraid we need to cut this short. You have access to our personal lines just in case there are any concerns. Please don't hesitate to contact us," Pepper said as she stood to shake Bud's hand. 

"Of-of course. I will. I doubt there will be any issues, you have a great daughter."

As they left, Bud let out a deep breath. If anyone had told him a year earlier that he would be meeting the Starks because he was their daughter's teacher, he would have laughed and called the person crazy. If only his college professors could see him now. 

~

It started like any other day. Bud was early to work, the drive-thru at Dunkin' wasn't too crowded that morning. He had a faculty meeting, where his team praised his work with his second graders and the initiative he took on orchestrating the field trip for the grade level. His students were all understanding the content that he was pushing out to them on Google Classroom, and the one problem student he had was absent that day. 

Then the intercom crackled, and the classroom was plunged into darkness. Bud was kneeling beside one of his students, trying to hear what she was saying when he heard his kids start screaming when the lights failed. 

"Calm down, guys. Hey, inside voices," he projected, "The power is probably just out. They'll get it back soon." Bud checked the laptop closest to him and cringed when he saw the internet was out. He ran a hand through his dark hair and said, "Okay, guys. Let's pack up the technology and then meet over at the carpet."

As his students worked in methodical motions, Bud headed to the door. Sticking his head out, he noticed he wasn't the only one with the same idea. 

"Any idea why the wifi's out?" he asked Schertzer, who was across the hall from him. 

"The wifi not working is normal. I'm more concerned about the lights and the power," Ms. Schertzer sighed, dragging a hand across her head, "guess we aren't doing that quiz today."

"They'll…" Bud stopped when he heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Glancing to his right, his words died in his throat. 

Standing at the end of the hallway were four men with guns plastered to their hips. They were walking in a triangle formation that sent a chill down Bud's spine. Something wasn't right. 

"Get inside and lock your door," he hissed to Ms. Schertzer before taking his own advice. He made his way back into his room and shut off the lights. He made sure the door was locked, and he turned swiftly to his kids. 

"Okay, everyone, we are under a lockdown. Get to your places and make sure you guys can't be seen from the door."

The kids moved to their places, and Bud thanked God that they did so many drills and that his kids followed directions, so this was smooth. There was enough urgency in his voice that made his students not question his instructions for a second; unfortunately, it meant they were also terrified of what was happening. He caught a few sniffles as he put his blackout paper on the window of the door and grabbed the fire extinguisher from its perch on the wall. There was no way he was letting his kids get hurt without a fight. 

"It's gonna be okay. Just stay quiet and stay hidden as much as you can. We're okay," Bud tried to comfort.

"Mr. V?" Morgan whispered. "My dad will come help us."

"Maybe. Even if he doesn't, nothing is happening to you guys."

"I hit my button. My dad is gonna be here soon. Maybe uncle Rhodey will too."

Bud breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Stark wouldn't let his kid go anywhere without safeguards in place, but to see it in action was slightly terrifying. 

"Okay, kiddo. Go hide, okay?" 

Morgan nodded to him and disappeared behind his filing cabinet. If he didn't see where she went, he wouldn't have been able to find her at all. 

When he saw everyone was in place, he crouched down in a corner near the door and waited with bated breath. He heard the footsteps coming closer, but there was no other noise to indicate anything was wrong. They were quiet. They were professionals. His hands tightened on the fire extinguisher as the footsteps stopped just outside the doorway. 

The door exploded inward from a kick that had to be hard enough to splinter the door. Bud immediately stood from his spot and flung the fire extinguisher at the first man's head. It connected with a sickening crack, and the man fell to the floor unconscious before anyone could take a breath. Then, he turned his attention to the next one. 

Before he could swing, there was a foot flying towards his chest, and he was thrown backward, his head slamming against the floor. He tried to stand up, but the invader pointed his gun at Bud, making the man still. 

"I will not hesitate to shoot you if you try anything again," the man snarled. "Now. Where's Stark?"

Bud couldn't help himself. "Probably in his lab, thinking of all the ways he can destroy people who come into schools with guns."

The man that stood over him was flanked by two more people, and one of them slammed the butt of his gun into Bud's face, sending his head bouncing from the ground again. He was going to have a concussion, he was sure. He heard the soft whimpers from his students, and he swore the men in front of him were going to pay. 

Bud took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He couldn't explain how he did what he did. It was like moving your toes and fingers, you told your brain you wanted it to happen, and it did. He let his mind go blank and reached out to the three people in front of him with his mind. He had never tried to control three people before, but if he was ever going to give it a try, it was that moment. 

Their thoughts flooded into his mind, and it took a minute to distinguish them from one another. The one that came in first had a tenor voice, kind of high with a thick Brooklyn accent. The thoughts of the man that hit him were all images, which wasn't uncommon. The other one had a slight English accent that reminded him of someone who was born elsewhere and grew up in the states. Each person was thinking relatively the same thing. Morgan. They had a mission to take the young girl, but he wasn't able to make out the name of their employer.

He shifted his focus, so he was injecting instead of extracting thoughts. 

_ There was no one here when you got here. We were on a field trip, and you couldn't find Morgan.  _

Bud was aware of sounds coming from the classroom, but he continued to focus on his task. If he didn't concentrate, the thought wouldn't be planted firmly enough for them to listen to it as if it was their own. 

_ There was nothing you could do. You are going to tell your superiors that the room was empty, and there were no backpacks. There was no way for you to get to her. No clues.  _

His attention was broken when there was a bright flash of light from his right. All three men in front of him were sent flying into the wall, and Bud could feel his chest loosen at the absence of their figures over him. He looked up to see a flash of red go by him, and then the three men were stuck to the wall with what looked like silly string, and it should have been impossible to hold them. But they struggled against it, the bindings not moving at all. 

Bud sat up on shaky arms and felt wetness trickle down his nose. He reached up a hand and brushed his upper lip, his fingers coming away red. It sometimes happened when he worked his mind too hard; the nosebleeds. He stood carefully and took stock of the situation around him. All of the men that came into the classroom were all restrained by the sticky string, and it took Bud a second to realize it was from Spider-Man. It only clicked in his head when he heard a high voice to his right checking on all the kids, and he looked over to see the spandex-clad hero crouched in front of the kids telling them it would be okay. 

Looking over, he saw Morgan being wrapped in the arms of Iron Man. This had to be the craziest day of his entire life, and he wasn't quite sure what to do. Before he had to think about it too hard, he heard his name being shouted by Morgan, who was wiggling out of her father's grasp. She ran to him and connected with his waist, sending him stumbling back slightly. 

"That was really scary, Mr. V," Morgan said. 

"I know. It's okay, though. You're okay."

"What the hell happened here?" Tony asked as his faceplate disengaged from his head. 

"Daddy, Mr. V told them to stop and to leave us alone," Morgan informed.

"Yeah, I did. Asking nicely works sometimes," Bud told the girl. 

"But what about your eyes?" she asked.

"His eyes?" Tony asked, concerned.

"Yeah, they glowed purple when he was telling them to leave us alone." 

Tony looked up at Bud sharply, his eyes full of questions. Bud inhaled deeply and placed his hand on Morgan's head. 

"Sweetie, can you go check on everyone else? I know they have to be scared, and you were so brave. I bet they would listen to you."

The small girl smiled up at her teacher and bounced away to see how her friends were holding up. When she was away from the two men, Bud turned to Tony and braced himself for the inevitable question session that was sure to come. 

"I'd like to know what happened here, but I assume you need to look after Morgan's classmates first," Tony said. 

Bud was surprised the man hadn't demanded answers right then and there. "Yeah. I need to make sure their parents come get them. I'll also probably need to talk with the cops about what happened."

"Not a concern. My people will take care of it. I'll get your official statement back at the Tower. We'll stay until the school has been evacuated just in case they send more, but then you need to come with us."

"And my unofficial statement?" Bud asked.

Tony tilted his head slightly and raised his eyebrows. 

Bud nodded, knowing he would need to give a condensed version. "We were in the middle of Centers, and the lights went out. I didn't think too much of it, but I went to see if the other teachers knew what was going on. Then I saw the men in the hallway. I tried to stop them with a fire extinguisher, but they got the best of me. Then, I told them to stop, which they did. That's pretty much what happened before you guys got here."

"And the nose?" Tony asked, motioning to Bud's face.

Bud reached up and felt more blood seeping out of his nostrils. It would stop soon. 

"Side effect," he said. It was the only answer he could give without telling the man everything. 

Iron Man nodded to him, and Bud felt himself sigh with relief. He didn't know what to expect from the next few hours, but he had to believe that saving Tony's daughter would count for something when all was said and done. He didn't really want to tell the Avengers what he could do, but it looked like he didn't have much choice. He was caught. 

~

Sitting on a plush couch in the Avenger's level at their Tower in the heart of the city was not how he expected his day to go. He was glad he wore a vest and slacks to work that day and not a school shirt and jeans, even if the vest was a collage of Hogwarts Houses. The pressure of meeting more of the Avengers was settling in without him worrying what he looked like. 

Across from him sat Natasha Romanoff, world-renowned spy and, quite frankly, a terrifying woman to meet in person. Her eyes slid over him, and he was sure she knew what he had for breakfast that morning. She said hello to him when he showed up, but didn't say anything else. Just stared at him. 

Next to her was Spider-Man, still with his mask on. He escorted Bud back to the Tower and stayed with him. Bud had to assume his mask was still on because he wanted to keep his identity a secret, and he wasn't about to ask for the situation to change. The young hero, at least he sounded young, was talking a mile a minute about everything that came to his head. He was telling Natasha about what happened at the school. He kept going on about how easy it was to take all the intruders down. 

He stopped and sheepishly added, "not that you weren't doing an awesome job, Mr. Vander Kaay. I just...you know...superpowers."

Bud smiled a bit at that. "It's fine. I know what you mean."

"I mean, you have some cool powers too, though. I mean, I think."

Natasha raised an eyebrow at that. "What kind of powers?"

Bud tensed slightly under the woman's gaze. "I think it's better if we wait for Mr. Stark. I don't feel up to going over it a million times."

"Going over what a million times?" a voice said from behind him. 

Bud looked over his shoulder and set his eyes on a well-built man that was bounding through the doorway. He was able to glimpse a set of hearing aids and knew exactly who the person was. 

Standing up instantly, Bud reached out a hand. "Hi, I'm Bud. It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Barton."

The man took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "Finally, someone who knows who I am without anyone having to introduce me. I've arrived, it seems," he said, his voice deepening dramatically.

"Of course, I know who you are. You were the reason I didn't fight it so hard when we found out I needed hearing aids. My mom always told me I could be like Hawkeye."

"Well, Hell. Call me Clint," he said, pride seeping into his voice.

"Great. Now we have to walk around Clint's ego for the rest of the day," Black Widow murmured. 

Clint pointed to her. "I heard that."

Natasha mumbled something in another language, and Clint looked affronted. 

"Did you just call me..."

"Yes," she deadpanned. 

Bud shifted on his feet slightly and looked over at Spider-Man. "Are they always like this?"

The man nodded. "Pretty much. It's not a good day unless they either punch each other, or Nat calls him something in Russian."

"Right." Bud couldn't believe he was in this situation. Thankfully there was no more room for conversations because Tony was stepping out of the hallway and motioned for everyone to sit down.

"Alright. I got clearance to take your statement here without anyone from SHIELD being able to listen in. So. Tell us what they wanted."

"With all due respect, Mr. Stark, I think you know."

"Why don't you tell me? Prove me right. I like being right."

Bud considered this for a moment. He didn't know if the man was messing with him or not. Something in him wanted to spit a sarcastic comment back at Tony, but then he remembered Morgan's face and the man's voice that was full of venom when he said her name. 

"Morgan. They came for Morgan." Bud didn't want to say those words, God, how he hated telling a father that his daughter was in danger. He hated it so much. 

To his credit, Tony just nodded slightly. "How did you stop them? Morgan said your eyes turned purple."

Bud shrugged. "I don't know why it does that. All I know is that my eyes glow purple, and I don't really know what all is happening around me. 

"And the nose? You said it was a side-effect?"

"Sometimes, that happens when I overexert myself. Most of the time, it's when I'm trying to tap into too many people at once."

Natasha shifted forward. "What do you mean, 'tap into people'?"

Bud avoided their gaze. "I can't let what I do get out into the public. I'll be ruined. No one will hire a teacher with my...gifts."

"I can't promise no one will find out," Tony said, "But I can promise that we will try our hardest."

Bud glanced over to where Spider-Man was sitting. He assumed everyone in the building knew who the man was behind the mask, and they kept it under wraps. He could only hope they would extend the same courtesy to him. 

"Okay. My gifts are mainly telepathic. I can read people's minds, and sometimes, when I concentrate, I can place images and thoughts into their heads. Almost like it was really them."

"Holy shit," Clint muttered. 

"There's one more thing. I can, uh," Bud took a deep breath. "I can make people do things. I can just tell them what to do, and they do it without questioning it because they think it came from them."

"I've seen a lot of things, but that sounds a bit far fetched. Mind showing us?" Tony asked. 

"I don't really like to do it on people. It just feels wrong."

Spider-Man was nearly bouncing in his chair. "That is so cool, Mr. Vander Kaay. Read my mind. Come on." 

Bud shook his head. "I don't think that's -"

"No, that might be a good idea," Natasha said. "With the mask, there's no chance of him being able to tell what Spider-Man is thinking through facial tics."

Everyone was watching Bud closely. He almost felt like he was in a zoo being gandered at by people who wanted him to do tricks. 

"Okay," he agreed.

Bud took a deep breath in and out. He let his eyes slip closed, and he searched for the waves coming off of the man. 

' _ Don't think about your name. Don't think about your name. Don't think about your college. Don't think about Aunt May. Oh crap! Um, what? I don't know anyone named May. And I definitely don't go to college.' _

He chuckled about how panicked the boy sounded, it was always harder for people not to think about the things they wanted to keep a secret because their mind drifted to it anyway. He didn't mean to let the other voices in, but before he could stop it, he heard another voice sounding almost panicked. 

_ 'Come on, Peter, don't think about anything stupid.' _

Bud let his attention fall away from the thoughts in the room, and he opened his eyes. He fidgeted with his hands slightly and looked around the room. 

"Don't worry, Peter, your Aunt May isn't in danger from me. I don't hurt people, especially a college kid's aunt."

He saw the boy stiffen, and Tony narrowed his eyes. 

"I'm gonna need you to sign an NDA. And I want you to know, if you breathe a word about who he is to anyone, you will never see the light of day again."

Bud raised his hands in defense. "Like I said. I don't hurt people."

"What a cluster...okay kid. Take off the mask. He knows who you are, so, may as well get comfortable," Tony told the teenager.

When Spider-Man's mask came off, Bud had to keep himself from openly gaping. The kid couldn't be older than eighteen, and he was fighting with the Avengers. Bud wondered what his aunt thought about it and why she agreed to let him join in the first place. Then, he realized he was glad that Peter had someone in his life that supported him. 

Bud's parents found out about his mutation just before they died. He never really got the chance to hear their thoughts about it because they didn't talk to him after they found out. They said they needed a few days to process the fact that he was a mutant, but before they could say anything else to him, they were in a car accident. He liked to think they would come around and be proud of him, no matter what he could or couldn't do. 

"We believe you, obviously. Did you get a chance to listen to our resident assholes?" Tony asked.

"A little. The men were just thinking about their orders. I tried to figure out who hired them, but I didn't get anything. I know they were terrified if they didn't get her. Whoever hired them had something on them. It sounded personal."

"Natasha," Tony said.

"I'll go see what I can get out of them," the woman said, standing from her chair and squaring her shoulders. Bud didn't want to be on the receiving end of whatever she was going to go do.

"That's my cue," Clint said as he followed the redhead. 

"Well, that takes care of that. Pete, go find Morgan and see how she's doing. And no scaring Pepper by walking on the ceiling," Tony warned.

The young man's face fell a bit. "That was only one time, Mr. Stark."

"And you got mud all over the ceiling because you didn't take your shoes off."

"It was raining outside. I didn't know it was going to stick to the ceiling like that!" Peter argued. 

Tony gave the boy another look, and he sighed, leaving the room. As he was walking down the hall, he called back, "nice to meet you, Mr. Vander Kaay!"

"So, what now?" Bud asked, looking at Tony, who was standing in the middle of the room, his hands stuffed into his pockets. 

"Now, I think there's someone you need to meet," Tony said. 

~

Never, in a million years, did Bud think he would be meeting Wanda Maximoff. He heard all about the woman and her abilities through the events of the Accords a few years prior, but he hadn't expected to be shaking her hand in a room that was clearly meant for training. 

"Call me Wanda. Most do," she said in greeting. 

Bud introduced himself. "You can call me Bud, because it's my name," he said awkwardly. He mentally chastised himself for his strange greeting.

"Is it short for anything?" she asked, curiously.

"Nope. My name is literally Bud," he said, for the millionth time in his life. 

"Really?"

"Yep. It's on my birth certificate and everything."

Wanda looked at him for a second. "Odd. Well, It's nice to meet you. I hear you have...abilities."

At that point, Tony cut in. "He saved my kid. Something about mind reading. Figured you and Buddy here would be good training partners."

"It's Bud," he corrected. He hated it when people called him Buddy, even if it was the man that saved the universe. 

"Whatever you say, Mr. Holland," Tony brushed him off before turning to Wanda. "I figured you'd like having someone to spar with intellectually. Maybe flex your brain powers a bit. Show him the ropes."

The woman looked at Stark quizzically before smirking at him. "Right. Well, let's see what you have."

"Wait. You mean...train with you? Like, use our minds against each other? Why?" Bud asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. 

"She might be able to help you, hone your powers, so to speak. And, maybe you could help her in return," Tony said. "It's not every day we meet someone who can mess with people's minds. Might be a good idea to practice with someone who understands."

"No offense, but I don't need to use my gifts like you guys do. I'm just a teacher. I'm not a hero."

"Aren't you, though?" a high voice called from the doorway. 

Bud looked over to see Pepper Stark standing in the doorway. Stepping close, her eyes bore into Bud's, willing him to understand. "You saved my daughter and a lot of her classmates. I'd say that qualifies you as a hero."

There was a rush of pride that filled Bud's chest. He was hesitant about telling people about his abilities because he feared what they would say and how they would act around him. He knew that people weren't always okay with people who were different, and he didn't want to risk the retribution. But, now, looking at Morgan's family, he knew that it wasn't his powers that made him fight for his students. It was his love for his students and their wellbeing.

"I only did what anyone would do," he argued. 

Pepper gave him a soft smile. "No. Not everyone would have done what you did."

"Trust me," Wanda spoke up, "not everyone would save children and risk their lives."

Bud noticed the Starks were looking at each other meaningfully. Tony raised his eyebrow slightly, and Pepper cocked her head to the side. Tony narrowed his eyes, pursed his lips, then nodded. 

"Wanda, can you give us a minute, please? We'll see about the training later," Tony said. 

"Of course. It was nice meeting you, Bud. We will see about your abilities soon," Wanda promised as she gave him a small smile. 

Bud watched Wanda walk out of the room, and his heart started beating a bit faster. He didn't know what they wanted to talk to him about, but it had to be important for the couple to excuse Wanda from the room. 

"We didn't really get a chance to talk about all of this," Pepper said, "but I think we can both agree that sending Morgan back to school right now is probably not a good idea."

"You would need to talk to the office. I can't really help you with that," Bud said. 

"Actually, you might be able to," Tony said, giving Bud a piercing stare. 

"I'm not in charge of enrollment-"

"Not what I meant," Tony said. "We have been considering if having Morgan in a regular school is the right thing for a little bit now. It seemed like it was going to be possible to give her a typical education so she could feel as normal as possible, but it's become clear these past few months that it's not working."

Pepper interjected, "it has nothing to do with you as her teacher. You've actually been one of the reasons that we kept her in for so long, but with what happened today, we need to be realistic. I think-we think it would be better, at least for a while, if she were homeschooled."

"At the very least, until we figure out who sent those men today. We should have the name by tomorrow, and they'll be taken care of. But, still," Tony said. 

"Okay," Bud said, confused. He had been homeschooled, and he loved every second of it. If the parents could homeschool their kids, he always told them to go for it. But that didn't explain why they were telling him of their plans. He didn't have any power over their decision. 

"We want to hire you. Think of it as a private live-in tutor position," Tony said. 

That made Bud stop. "I'm sorry, run that by me one more time." His hearing aids must not have picked that up correctly. 

Pepper smiled slightly. "We wouldn't trust anyone else with her education. You saw that she needed extra work, and you advocated for her even when it brought more work on yourself. We are prepared to offer you a room here at the Tower, with full access to any materials you need. The pay would be triple what you get at your current job, and you would get full medical coverage."

Bud fought to keep his mouth from plunging to the ground. "That's...that's too much. Are you messing with me right now?"

"Nope," Tony said. "It might be nice to have another person with abilities around, just in case. One of the stipulations of the contract would be that you start training with the team to work on your self-defense and try to figure out your powers. You'd be Morgan's first defense if something happened in the Tower, so we would need you to be able to fight."

"So, you want a bodyguard and teacher all in one?"

"It sounds a little crass, but it's not like that. We were talking about offering the position to you before we knew about your abilities. We were just going to ask you to be able to fire a gun and know some type of defense," Pepper said. "But with this new development, it just makes too much sense for us to pass up the opportunity." 

"What do you say? Care to take a chance with a bunch of superheroes?" Tony asked.

"What happens when she gets to middle school?" Bud asked.

"We can go over that when that time comes," Tony said. "If she wants to go back, we can discuss that. If not, we can work it out then. I'm sure by then, you'll be running missions with us anyway."

"Tony," Pepper warned. 

"You didn't see him, Pep. Kid's got potential.-"

"I'm twenty-five," Bud corrected, but was ignored. 

"I think with some training, he'd be an asset to the team. If that's something you're interested in pursuing, that is," Tony said, turning toward Bud with a question shining in his eyes.

Bud swallowed his nerves. Tony Stark was offering him a tutoring position for triple what he made at his school, a place to live, and basically a spot on the team working with the avengers. There had to be a sick joke waiting somewhere behind the offer, but as he took in Pepper and Tony, all he saw was sincerity. 

"Well, it looks like you have a new tutor for Morgan. When do I start?" Bud asked. 

"Good choice. You start tomorrow morning. I'll handle everything with your current employers," Tony said, turning to Pepper with a self-satisfied smirk. "Told you."

Pepper rolled her eyes at her husband, but ignored him. "You'll start tomorrow, but you don't have to accept the room here if you don't want to."

Bud didn't hesitate. "I want to. Who would say no to living here?"

"You'd be surprised," Pepper chuckled. "For now, we can get a driver to bring you home, and we can work out all the details tomorrow."

"That sounds awesome. Thank you so much for this opportunity. I really can't thank you enough," Bud gushed.

"No. We can't thank you enough," Pepper offered him a small smile before heading out of the room.

"So, there's one more thing," Tony said, keeping his eyes on his new employee. "Can you really make people do things and make them think it's their idea?"

Bud nodded, a bit wearily.

"Oh, you are going to be a great person to have around when Morgan doesn't want to go to bed."

Bud chuckled slightly at the comment, but couldn't tell if the man was serious or not. His thoughts were thrown out of the window when a crash echoed down the hallway, and Bud heard Peter's voice say, "I'm okay."

Tony let out a sigh and clapped a hand over Bud's shoulder. "Welcome to the chaos, Mr. Vander Kaay."

Bud stared after the man for a moment, letting the day's events wash over him. He was sure that he was going to wake up any second, because there was no way this was real. It couldn't be. Had he really just accepted a job at the Avenger's Tower to tutor Tony Stark's kid? That had happened, right?

He left the room in a daze, and stopped when a man met him at the elevator. He wore a suit and a deep scowl, and was eyeing Bud with suspicion.

"Are you the new kid?" the man asked. 

"Well, I'm the new...employee, I guess," Bud said.

"Please tell me you're not a talker. Tony can't do that shit to me again."

Bud let out a surprised laugh. "It depends on what you consider talking too much."

The man in front of him groaned. "Of course. Alright, get in the car. I hope you're ready for what you signed up for." 

Bud stood for a second and found that even though he didn't know 100% what he signed up for, he had no regrets in taking the job. He was excited to work with his abilities with the Avengers, and he was eager to work one on one with Morgan. The girl was practically a genius, and he knew she would challenge him endlessly. Honestly, he couldn't wait to see what she was going to do in life. Then there were the Avengers who accepted him, even though he wasn’t like normal people. Maybe it was because they weren’t normal either, that they could welcome him with open arms. 

He thought about the change he could make in the world. Changes that surpasses anything he thought he was capable of. 

Yeah. He was ready. 

**Author's Note:**

> I am all about maybe making this into a series, but I'm not 100% sure. Anyone interested?


End file.
